Why Aren’t We Using More Renewable Energy Already?

If you’re wondering why the world is still so reliant on fossil fuels like oil, petrol and diesel, and why there isn’t more renewable energy used, then perhaps you are about to find out.

Consumers like the convenience of petrol and diesel for vehicles, whether for private or public transport. Cars are as popular as ever, despite recent oil price rises, and for most people, the car is the most convenient way of travelling.

Low cost flights have also meant that worldwide travel is available to almost everyone, and it’s often cheaper to fly abroad than to get a train within the UK.

Electric vehicles are not practical enough yet, and have a short range before they need to be recharged. This makes long journeys impossible, and motorway speeds are not realistically attainable. Whilst ideal for travelling short distances in congested cities, electric vehicles are not likely to replace petrol and diesel vehicles anytime soon.

Wind power is seen as a credible alternative energy to fossil fuels for producing electricity, but it can’t be used everywhere yet, and is seen as an eyesore for some residents who’s views, or land is spoilt by wind turbines. A turbine only produces electricity around 25% of the time, so it is not very efficient.

Solar power is popular in some countries, and the technology is improving all the time, and even in the UK there are some homes and businesses that are powered by solar energy. The technology is improving and nowadays daylight rather than just sunlight can be used, meaning that solar power may become more popular.

Nuclear power isn’t seen as safe by all, and despite reassurances that it is, and there is widespread opposal to plans to create nuclear power stations, and alternatives to nuclear power are being investigated.

Water power such as tidal or using rivers to produce energy is not new. Waterwheels and dams have been used for years. Using water to drive turbines to create electricity is not common yet in the UK, even though the UK is an island.

Biomass is another increasing popular form of renewable energy. It uses organic matter, such as waste products, or crops grown especially to be used as fuel. Biomass has arguably the best chance of being accepted more widely. Already used as biodiesel, biomass is becoming more popular thanks to increasing media coverage. Combined biomass heat and power plants create power. Heat is created as part of the power process. This heat is normally lost, whereas in a combined heat and power plant the heat is used to heat the building or water. In domestic environment environments, wood burning stoves for cooking and heating is an example of biomass energy.

Biomass also makes use of waste products that would otherwise be sent to landfill. Waste wood can be burnt as fuel; methane gas from landfill sites can be used as a fuel, and fruit and vegetable peelings and waste can be used as compost in the garden.

As global warming increases, and the amount of fossil fuels decrease, there will be more investment and research into renewable energy for both domestic commercial applications.

Now you know more about renewable energy, isn’t it time you did your bit and reduced your reliance on fossil fuels?

The Most Important Biofuels Pros and Cons

At the heart of the biofuels pros and cons debate is the fact that we need a great alternative fuel source as a planet. This source of energy needs to be efficient and able to replace oil as the primary fuel for vehicles and heat. With global warming becoming more tangible for even the biggest skeptics, ethanol and biodiesel seem like the answer to the planets needs. However, manufacturing these sources of energy can have just as big an impact on the planet as emissions from traditional fuels.

Biofuels Pros and Cons

The evident pros of using ethanol and biodiesel is the independence they allow from oil purchased outside the United States. The emissions from direct use in vehicles is also far less than those from more traditional fuels like gasoline. The cons of these energy sources may be more detrimental than the positives are beneficial.

Creating biodiesel and ethanol requires more output of energy in the production phases than the amount of energy created from the fuels. Biofuels pros and cons also take into consideration the large amount of land, corn and soybeans needed to create enough fuel to subsidize the current oil needs of the world.

Currently, the biofuels pros and cons are leaning toward the negatives more than the positives. With new advances in alternative energy production this could swing the other way rather quickly. It is important to keep an eye on current and future plans for research and development of real world energy sources that will eventually replace all oil needs in the world.